Oman Air touches down at Kannur International Airport

MUSCAT: Oman Air, Oman's national carrier received a water salute at Kannur International Airport, the newest airport in Kerala as it taxied along the apron on its maiden journey to this sector on Friday.

The airline's first service to Kannur was a charter service carrying 183 passengers including 4 infants and 19 children who flew for free, thanks to the kind gesture of a good Samaritan who heads Makkah Hypermarket Group in Oman.

'We identified some 183 passengers who were stranded in the Sultanate of Oman after the outbreak of COVID-19 and the following lock down. We are happy that we could render a helping hand to these people who were stuck for some reason or the other,' Muhammed Kunji (Mammootty), Managing Director of the Group, and Saif Mohammed al Namani, Director said.

They included visitors whose visas got expired, medical emergency cases, pregnant women, workers in distress, senior citizens and others who were stranded without work.

This is the first time that Oman Air is landing in Kannur International Airport, which was opened on December 9, 2018. Permission to carry passengers to and forth this 4th international gateway of Kerala was limited to Indian carriers while others were trying for the same.

With the Friday flight, more than 100,000 expatriates stranded in Oman for many reasons were able to get home since May 09 when the first charter service began to carry Indians home.

Embassies and other diplomatic missions have been help their citizens in Oman get back to their respective countries along with various organisations, NGOs, travel agencies and other commercial establishments which have been busy sending their nationals back home.

These passengers included people stranded either due to visa expiry or lack of flight services and the like to their home states back in countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Philippines, among others.

Hilal Mohammed, Sinan Mohammed, Salim Sajith, General Manager and management and staff representatives were also present at the departure of the first flight that carried passengers for free.